Mel Gibson Might Direct the ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel

The DC Extended Universe may have lost Ben Affleck as a director (and maybe as a star too), but Warner Bros. is looking to gain another big name for its roster. The studio is currently courting Mel Gibson to helm the Suicide Squadsequel, which is definitely not a sentence anyone expected to write today.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson is “familiarizing himself with the material,” but Warners is also actively searching for others if Gibson falls through, including Safe House and Life director Daniel Espinosa. Suicide Squad director David Ayer was initially thought to return for the sequel, but he’s been given the Gotham City Sirens movie instead. Will Smith, though, is still onboard, as are the rest of the cast, no doubt, because, you know, contracts. It’ll be interesting to see how Gibson’s directing style meshes with the dingy-yet-technicolor LSD trip that was Suicide Squad’s overall aesthetic.

If he joins the project, this marks another step in Gibson’s remarkable comeback after that 2006 DUI which involved some preeetty anti-Semitic comments from the actor-director. He’s currently one of the nominees for a Best Director Oscar for his gritty war drama Hacksaw Ridge and has already joined Vince Vaughn in a movie involving police gun control, and will star alongside Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg for Daddy’s Home 2. Although, I dunno. Would directing the Suicide Squad sequel really be considered a comeback?